Action-Packed: Q&A with Aaron Ross

The BMX pro and X Games veteran takes us behind the scenes

By Jourden V. Sander

Published: June 4, 2014

Austin may “keep it weird” with our taste in music, art and culture, but what about sports? As a city that has no major league sports team, it seems fitting that instead of plain ole football or baseball, Austin is a growing hub for extreme sports and is the home of this year’s X Games.

With the Games taking place this weekend, who better to go behind the scenes with than multiple X Games participator and Austinite Aaron Ross? A born and bred Texan, Ross frequently visited the capital city to partake in the BMX community even when he still lived in his hometown of Corpus Christi. Now a permanent resident, running his roving grilled cheese truck, Burro Cheese Kitchen, and riding as much as he can, Ross may not be participating in this year’s Games, but he’s equally excited to catch all the action.

What do you think makes Austin a good city for the X Games?
You couldn’t ask for a more relaxed, outdoorsy, active city. So, obviously Austin is perfect. When you think of the X Games, you think of people who are—not necessarily all living extreme—but guys who’re active and outside, and Austin is such a huge BMX city, huge skateboard city, huge wakeboard city. Austin welcomes this kind of stuff. I feel like it’s a perfect fit.

What is the community of BMX riders in Austin like?
The BMX community in Austin is known worldwide. They call Austin the “BMX Mecca of the World.” We have multiple bike companies out of Austin; we have some of the most world famous spots in Austin. People fly here from all over the world. It’s pretty ridiculous. In high school I spent years coming to Austin every other weekend. It was just where you came to ride bikes if you wanted to ride bikes. The BMX community is very tight. It’s just a good scene. You couldn’t ask for a better place to have that.

Why aren’t you participating in the X Games this year?

This will be my third full year not participating. It’s really hard to explain to people, especially in Austin, because they know me as the guy who has had so much to do with the X Games. But they only take 10 guys from all over the world, and I was fortunate enough to be in the X Games in previous years. For a job in BMX, as for a lot of others, we aren’t supposed to win the X Games. We’re street riders. We go out and film commercials and promo videos, and obviously the X Games is a huge bonus if you get to do that, but that’s not really part of it. Our job is to be in magazines and on the Internet. So while I am not in the X Games, I’m looking forward to being able to watch my friends. I’d rather sit on the sidelines and join the city with the X Games, and I’d like to be on the ambassador side of things in this stage of my life.

In the years you did participate in the X Games, what is it like behind the scenes for the athletes?
Honestly, it’s fun, because like I said, I grew up dreaming about being in the X Games, even though it wasn’t necessarily a part of my job. When I was a kid, they didn’t have an event for me. I was a street rider, and they just didn’t have that yet. So when they finally introduced that, I was at a point where I got an invite, and I was like, Wow, I’m in. I was standing next to these people that I watched in X Games for years, and I’m kind of just like, Wow this is amazing. It’s really fun to watch it from the inside. It’s definitely something where it’s an honor to be able to see that—something that a lot of people don’t get to see. I’m very grateful for that.

When you’re about to do a trick, do you get nervous?
I think everyone gets nervous, but I always did it with a smile on my face. Like, I’m as good as I’m gonna be in this moment, so let’s just have fun. I’m not getting better in the next two minutes, so let’s just enjoy this. It’s really nerve-racking to think that you’re in front of however many tons of people that watch the X Games, which is kind of scary, but at the same time I looked at it as being an honor. No one is going to see someone fall and think that that person sucks—they’re going to say, “That guy messed up, but he’s there, he’s one of the 10 riders.” So it’s kind of cool: You’re nervous, but you’re nervous in a different way.

Did you have to do a lot of training before the X Games?
Really, I didn’t do anything beforehand. It was just looking at it like, I rode bikes yesterday, I rode bikes the day before. I didn’t necessarily do any training, but obviously different aspects of the X Games are a little different. The dirt bikers do train a little more, park riders train, but for the street riders, we’re all friends and we’re all there to hang out. So when you take your run, everyone’s cheering for each other. It’s a very friendly atmosphere on the street course, and everyone’s excited to see you do something good. It’s always been a very good family—we’re all in it together, which is rad. It makes it all way easier. So, me personally, I didn’t really prepare. I would show up, ride my bike and have fun.

What does it feel like to do a trick successfully, and what does it feel like to fail one?
There are two things: There are days when falling hurts, obviously, but there are days when you don’t get the trick done, and that’s really frustrating. Like this year, I had put three or four hours into one trick, and didn’t pull it. I tried for three and a half hours straight and couldn’t do it. That is the worst feeling in the world. You know you’re so close, but you just couldn’t get it done. But, the feeling of pulling a trick after all that work—you’re two hours in, and you’re upset and then you pull that trick and all the sudden you’re thinking, This is the greatest moment of my life. This is the reason why I love doing this.

What drew you to BMX?
I grew up riding bikes with my dad. My dad grew up racing motocross—so it was just something that ran in the family. It was just part of what we did. We were always outside, always doing something extreme, whether it was riding motorcycles or mountain bikes. And one day, my friend showed me a BMX magazine, and that’s when it started. I saw what I wanted to do.

What drew you to Austin, and why do you still enjoy living here?
I moved to Austin to ride BMX. A lot of people moved to California to get into the action scene, and Austin was one of those places where you didn’t have to move to California. And luckily I grew up three hours away, where I knew Austin was the place I wanted to be, and it was one of the only places in the world where I could ride bikes and have fun. I was very lucky that Austin was so close—it’s close to my family, and my sister was here, so I didn’t have to move very far to make it work. I’ve been here for almost 10 years, and now this is home. I see myself here for the rest of my life. I own a restaurant and a business here, and I’ve been lucky enough to be involved with the city.

What else are you currently working on or excited about?
I’m working on a two-year video project, which we’re about six months into. I’m also filming a video for the shoe company I ride for, etnies, and then we’re working on a video for my bike line, Sunday Bikes. I’ve also been traveling a lot. So I’m staying really busy and just enjoying bike riding. That’s really it. When I’m home, I deal with restaurant stuff, and then I ride every day.